The fifth annual Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Leader Awards were recently presented for 2017. The winners were recognized for their progress, innovative solutions and commitment to serving Iowa communities through collaboration and hard work. This year’s four winners were honored at the Iowa Agriculture Leaders Dinner held at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on March 7.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey created these awards to recognize and promote Iowa citizens, companies and organizations that have made significant contributions to Iowa’s agriculture industry. Those recognized have displayed leadership within the areas of innovation, conservation, service and collaboration.

“It is a tremendous honor and privilege to recognize these leaders who contribute so much to our state and agriculture,” Northey says.  “These Ag Leader Award recipients epitomize the values of Iowa agriculture that make our state a leader nationally and globally.”

Award winners
The four award winners for 2017 are the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy Science Team, the Sehgal Foundation, the Coalition to Support Iowa Farmers and Sukup Manufacturing Co. They are recognized for the progress they are making in the following categories to help lead agriculture and the state of Iowa forward.

• Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy Science Team — Leadership in Conservation. In 2010, a partnership was launched that included Iowa State University, USDA Ag Research Service, and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship to develop the science assessment part of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy. The INRS is a statewide strategy to reduce nutrients in Iowa waters and the Gulf of Mexico in a scientific, reasonable and cost-effective manner.

The team working on this effort consisted of 23 individuals representing five agencies and organizations under the leadership of John Lawrence at ISU. The goals of the science team were to assess nutrient loading from Iowa to the Mississippi River and conduct an extensive review of practices and their ability to ultimately reduce nutrients in surface water.

This assessment is believed to be the first of its kind and has since been replicated by several other states since the INRS’ initial release. This strategy will continue to improve Iowa water quality and could not have been done without the dedication and expertise of these individuals.

• Sehgal Foundation — Outstanding Service in Agriculture. Seedsman and agriculturalist Suri Sehgal and his wife, Edda, established the Sehgal Foundation in Des Moines in 1998, and the S.M. Sehgal Foundation in Gurgaon, India, in 1999.

Their goal was to make a positive difference in the lives of the rural poor and to strengthen relations between Iowa and India by actively encouraging student exchanges in agriculture and social sciences.

Working in partnership with communities, these two foundations create and implement programs that increase ag productivity, manage water resources and strengthen rural governance, with strong emphasis on the empowerment of women. Their crop research unit adapts rural technologies to meet local needs, and advocacy for biodiversity and conservation is built into all projects.

The Sehgal Foundation teams in India and Iowa strive to design and promote rural development interventions that create opportunities, build resilience and provide solutions to some of the most pressing challenges in India’s poorest communities so every person can lead a more secure, prosperous and dignified life.

• Coalition to Support Iowa Farmers — Leadership in Collaboration. The Coalition to Support Iowa's Farmers was established in 2004 by farmers for farmers. Its purpose is to help those who raise livestock successfully and responsibly manage changes to their livestock farms. 

CSIF does this by helping farmers navigate regulations, providing a building-site analysis, consulting on safeguarding the environment and enhancing neighbor relations. These services are provided for free to Iowa livestock farmers.

The coalition is a joint partnership involving the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Egg Council, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Iowa Pork Producers Association, Iowa Soybean Association, Iowa Turkey Federation and Midwest Dairy Association.

Their mission of helping Iowa’s farm families grow successfully and responsibly is still as important to the state today as it was 13 years ago. The preemptive approach of CSIF to help farmers start raising livestock or grow their existing farms has proven to be successful — and in many cases, essential — to reaching the farm family’s goals.

• Sukup Manufacturing — Innovation in Agriculture Manufacturing. Sukup Manufacturing Co. was founded in 1963 when Eugene Sukup patented a stirring machine that improved in-bin drying of grain for thousands of farmers in the U.S. Since then, innovation has been a company priority.

In the last 20 years alone, Sukup Manufacturing has seen exponential growth due to the innovative minds of Charles and Steve Sukup, who emphasized advanced manufacturing methods and the development of new product lines. Today, 80% of the company’s sales come from products that didn’t exist just two decades ago. These new product lines with patents include grain dryers, grain bins, material handling equipment and pre-engineered steel buildings.

Sukup Manufacturing now holds 85 patents and has sales in all 50 states and over 80 countries. Headquartered at Sheffield in northern Iowa, the manufacturing company employs over 500 people, and has global distribution locations in Denmark and Ukraine.

Since the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Sukup Manufacturing has designed and delivered 240 Safe T Homes to the people of Haiti, which provide element-resistant safe housing. Made entirely of metal, these homes, shaped like a grain bin, are earthquake-proof and hurricane-proof, and combine innovation with humanitarian need.

Source: Iowa Department of Agriculture